Gilmore is said to have become interested in music as a result of her father's record collection, which included work by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, and Tom Waits, among others. At 16 she left home and began working in a recording studio where she was discovered by her now long-time collaborator, producer and sometime co-songwriter Nigel Stonier, who became her husband in a ceremony in October 2005.
Thea recorded her debut album aged just 17 and then entered a spell of productivity which, in the four and a half years from January 1999 to August 2003, saw her record and release six albums including four "official" releases and two cult albums which were only intended for internet release but which have long since been available in the shops. In 2001, with the release of Rules For Jokers, she hit some kind of national nerve and garnered some attendant airplay but it wasn't until 2003's Avalanche that Thea finally began to make significant waves. Avalanche became Radio 2's Album Of The Week and spawned two hit singles including her first certifiable Top 40 hit Juliet. Thea has gathered countless plaudits over the years - "the best British singer songwriter of the last ten years - and then some" (Uncut), "so good its scary" (Mojo), and "Gilmore is already in a league of her own" (Q) immediately spring to mind - but Avalanche was truly a quantum leap forward and "a breakthrough record" (Times) to boot. And you can bet that Thea remains the only artiste to have her under-$50 video shown on Top Of The Pops.
Increasing radio support and acclaim from the music press led to a lucrative tour of the US in 2004, in support of legendary folksinger Joan Baez. During this time, Gilmore was diagnosed with clinical depression and also split from her personal relationship with Nigel Stonier after seven years, although they continued touring and working together.
In 2005, Gilmore continued touring commitments, for the first time not releasing a new album (the covers collection Loft Music was widely released during 2004). In October 2005, she and Stonier, who, in the light of Gilmore's depression diagnosis, re-started their personal relationship, married in a ceremony near their home in Cheshire.
Gilmore finally returned to recording with the release of Harpo's Ghost in August 2006, after a three-year absence of new material. The album was once again acclaimed in the music press and UK radio lent their support to the single "Cheap Tricks." Gilmore has been touted by Uncut magazine as "the best British singer-songwriter of the last 10 years...and then some" and has gained steady acclaim for each of her albums.
On November 14th, 2006, Gilmore gave birth to her first child with Stonier, a son named Egan, having conducted a UK tour in the autumn while heavily pregnant.
Thea Gilmore writes lyrics that somehow combine awesome poetic grace together with a 21st century barbed undercurrent. She also delivers razor sharp missives on life, love, sex, death, politics and wars (both personal and global) and all with an achingly-beautiful delivery which melts hearts in an instant. Someone once remarked that Thea is a hellraiser with a voice like honey and if you get to meet her you will know what this means. Barely out of her teenage daze, Thea was being compared to everyone from Joni Mitchell to Ryan Adams and Tom Waits and now at 31, Thea is going to make you think sweet somethings all over again.
www.theagilmore.net
Holding Your Hand
Thea Gilmore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna haunt you
Through the playgrounds
Through the fires
You'll be saluting at the stars
And I'll be holding your hand
I'm gonna haunt you
Out on the other side of luck
Where every business deal is struck
I'll be holding your hand
Yeah Yeah
I'll be holding your hand
I'm gonna haunt you
I'm gonna haunt you
In your ashes and your smoke
Like the punch line to a joke
I'll be holding your hand
I'm gonna haunt you
I'm gonna haunt you
On every knife edge
Every trip
And on every needle tip
I'll be holding your hand
Yeah yeah
I'll be holding your hand
The lyrics of Thea Gilmore's song "Holding Your Hand" create a haunting and eerie atmosphere. The repetition of "I'm gonna haunt you" sets the tone for the persistence and inevitability of the haunting. The imagery in the lyrics is dark and ominous, referring to playgrounds and fires, ashes and smoke, as well as knife edges and needle tips. These images suggest danger and pain, making the haunting even more ominous.
The line "You'll be saluting at the stars" implies a sense of heroism or patriotism, but the haunting presence of the singer suggests that even in moments of glory or achievement, they will be there to haunt and remind the subject of their powerlessness. The repeated line "I'll be holding your hand" adds to the eeriness of the song, as it suggests that even in moments of fear and pain, the subject will not be alone.
Overall, the song's lyrics create a sense of foreboding and inevitability, with the haunting presence of the singer being an ever-present backdrop to the subject's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna haunt you
I will always be present in your life, even if you think you're out of my reach.
Through the playgrounds
I'll follow you into every place where you find joy and happiness.
Through the fires
Even when you're going through difficult times and being tested, I'll stay by your side.
You'll be saluting at the stars
You'll be reaching for your dreams and aspirations while I watch and support you.
And I'll be holding your hand
I'll always be there to guide and comfort you through life's journey.
Out on the other side of luck
Even if things don't go your way and you feel like you're at a disadvantage, I'll still be with you.
Where every business deal is struck
In every part of your life, whether it's personal or professional, I'll be there to support you.
In your ashes and your smoke
Even when you feel like your life is in ruins, I'll stand by you and help you rebuild.
Like the punch line to a joke
As the unexpected twist to your life's story, I'll keep surprising you and making you laugh.
On every knife edge
In moments of danger and uncertainty, I'll be there to protect and guide you through the rough times.
Every trip
In times of adventure and exploration, I'll be there to share the journey with you.
And on every needle tip
Even in times of pain and sadness, I'll be there to offer comfort and support.
Yeah yeah
I'm fully committed to being there for you, through thick and thin.
I'll be holding your hand
No matter what happens in life, I'll always be there to hold your hand and be your rock.
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: GILMORE, THEA GILMORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind